Emma Raducanu lost 11 games in a row 6-1 6-0 in the third round of the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena. Played only one game against second seed Iga Swiatek.

This matched her loss to Elena Rybakina three years ago on the WTA Tour in Sydney.

Raducanu last played on the main court at Melbourne Park two years ago against Coco Gauff and she performed well, but Swiatek’s performance was simply too good.

“I think this is a match where I know I have to play really well,” said Raducanu, who has yet to win a set in four games against Swiatek.

“I think today, credit to Iga, she played good tennis, but I think there was a point where she played well and I didn’t play well. That combination probably wasn’t very good and led to today’s result .

“The score was obviously pretty harsh. I feel like I looked back and knew exactly what I needed to do and I took that as feedback.”

She broke out again in the second round against Amanda Anisimova due to back spasms and did not participate in any warm-up matches. The performance in the third round was Raducanu’s best performance here, and it was by no means a match. disaster.

She stressed that her serve was a key area she needed to work on if she wanted to get closer to the top players after being broken 16 times and double-faulting 24 times in six sets.

“Three weeks ago, when I was in Auckland, I was doing pool rehab,” said the 22-year-old, the only British woman to reach the last 32.

“I think being able to play and compete on the tennis court is something I have to be grateful for.

“I started hitting the ball when I came here 18 days ago. I had to take a positive attitude because I was able to beat two top opponents in the first two rounds. But I think today, there was no excuse for my back or my body.

“I think what I want to improve on is my serve. I got away with it in the first two games against two top players because I was able to defend and move and take advantage of the rest of my game.

“If I’m not necessarily able to hold serve or call the shots, I feel like it’s going to trickle into the rest of my game.”

Swiatek’s serve was so slow that she was called for a foul before the match began, but the Pole was in a hurry after that, with the hot, sunny weather making her hard shots pop even more.

The Briton did well to hold her serve in the first set, but her performance proved to be as good as it got, with Swiatek nearly flawless and Raducanu unable to get enough of her first serve.

Her backhand, usually one of her best assets, also fell apart and Raducanu looked raring to leave the court after 70 minutes of havoc.

Swiatek, a notoriously good front-runner, was 6-0 in her 26th match at a Grand Slam – by comparison, world No. 1 Alina Saba Aryna Sabalenka has only achieved it 9 times.

“I hit a few shots and then I thought this is what I’m practicing for,” said the second seed, who is seeking a first Australian Open title.

“I felt like the ball was listening to me. All the plays and everything I wanted to do, I could do it. So I kept going. This game was kind of perfect for me.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m ruthless. No matter what the score is, I just try to keep the same attitude and the same focus. But it’s not about what I’m trying to show. I’m just playing my game and if it’s working, why stop? ?”

Despite falling behind, Raducanu is proud of the way she handled the incident and is eager to get back to work immediately, with her next tournament scheduled to take place in Singapore in just over a week’s time – sky sports tennis live broadcast.

“I think one of my goals this year is just to be consistent and go with the flow,” she said.

“My team would probably tell me to take it easy. I feel like I have a lot of good things to do and feedback. I’d probably just want to get in there as quickly as possible.

“I feel like I’m speaking from a very rational perspective. I’m not necessarily too emotional by any means.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m ruthless,” said Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion and 2022 U.S. Open champion. “No matter what the score is, I just try to keep the same attitude and the same focus.

“But I don’t want to, you know, show something. I’m just playing my game. If it’s working, why stop? I’ve seen a lot of games, too, when somebody’s down 2-5. You always Gotta keep going until it’s over.”

former wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina Swiatek advanced to the last 16 with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Dayana Yastremska, but she did so only after undergoing back treatment and the eighth seed Emma Navarro and ninth seed. Darya Kasatkina It’s also advanced.

German Eva Rice Becoming the first lucky loser to reach the women’s fourth round since 1988, when she beat Romania’s Jacqueline Christian 4-6 6-3 6-3, was her reward for a date with Swiatek .

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